There is never any excuse to drive drunk. It is dangerous and extremely ill-advised. And yet, according to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, or MADD, someone is injured in a crash involving alcohol every two minutes. Perhaps you have been involved in such a collision. Perhaps you were driving. Thus the necessity of a traffic lawyer, or a Driving Under the Influence, or DUI defense attorney. Many people don’t realize how much they’ve had to drink, or that even one drink can cause problems behind the wheel. The best DUI lawyers will help protect your rights, but also help you realize that even having a little bit to drink can impair your ability to drive safely.
I made a mistake and now I need a traffic lawyer
Mistakes do happen, but driving impaired can be a very costly one. One top of fees to pay the DUI attorney, you will be facing fines, and if jail time is required, as it often is, missing out on your job will cause you to lose money you could have been making, if not the job itself. A traffic lawyer can help reduce the punishment, particularly if it is a first offense, but it’s better to not need a lawyer at all in the first place.
Spreading awareness about drunk driving and the law
- Legal limits
Most fatal crashes caused by drunk drivers involve the driver’s Blood Alcohol Content, or BAC, being well over 0.08, which is the legal limit in every state, though in some states, such as Arizona, you can be arrested with a lower BAC if your driving is determined to be influenced by alcohol. - Underage drinking and driving
States such as Colorado and Florida have a limit for underage drivers who have been drinking also, and it is the much lower 0.02, but zero-tolerance policies will often get them in trouble for breaking the law by drinking underage. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conducted a study that compared the original twelve states that implemented zero tolerance laws to twelve other states and discovered that the states enforcing the law had as much as 20% of a decline in deadly one-car crashes at night involving drivers under the age of 21. - Felony standards
In most states, after a person receives their third DUI, they will probably be looking at a felony charge. Out of the 50 states, 90% have felony DUI laws that can apply to convictions. The states that do not have such laws are Colorado, Maryland, Maine, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Washington D.C. also does not have the felony DUI laws. For these areas, a drunk driver can get five, six, even seven or more DUIs without serving any significant jail time.
Drunk driving is one of the worst choices you can make. Leave your keys with someone if you think that you might try to drive after you’ve had too many.
